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SOUTHWEST FLORIDA CHAPTER OF THE ASSOCIATION OF FUNDRAISING PROFESSIONALS HONORED AS TEN STAR GOLD CHAPTER Contact Name: Terri Medina Contact Email: terri.medina@lighthouseeducationcenter.org Contact Phone Number: 941-359-1404 SARASOTA, Fla. – March 11, 2021 – The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Southwest Florida Chapter has been named a 2021 Ten Star GOLD Chapter. Every year, AFP, the largest association of professional fundraisers in the world, honors chapters for achieving goals that align with key objectives in its long-range strategic plan. Chapters receive the Ten Star GOLD Award for performing specific activities designed to increase professionalism within fundraising and public awareness of the importance of philanthropy. Less than 20 percent of AFP’s 200 professional chapters earn the Ten Star Gold Chapter recognition, making the Southwest Florida Chapter one of the association’s leading chapters around the world. "I am thrilled for the Southwest Florida Chapter's members, committees, and our board of directors for earning this designation through their work to advance the profession of nonprofit fundraising," said Tracy Vanderneck, SWFL Chapter President. "To qualify for the Ten Star Gold designation, a chapter must show active dedication to the promotion of ethical fundraising, quality educational programming, and be able to demonstrate significant evolution in the areas of diversity, inclusion, equity, and access. We've made positive strides, and it is our plan to keep getting better." The AFP Southwest Florida Chapter will be honored as a Ten Star Gold Chapter at the virtual AFP International Conference on Fundraising (ICON) in June 2021. For more information on the Ten Star Award process, please visit www.afpglobal.org. # # # About AFP: Since 1960, AFP has inspired global change and supported efforts that generated over $1 trillion. AFP’s more than 31,000 individual and organizational members raise over $115 billion annually, equivalent to one-third of all charitable giving in North America and millions more around the world. For more information or to join the world's largest association of fundraising professionals, visit www.afpglobal.org. About AFP Southwest Florida: AFP is an individual membership association advancing philanthropy through education, training and advocacy based on research, a code of ethical principles and standards of professional practice. Southwest Florida Chapter is recognized as a Ten Star Chapter because of its stellar programming offered in the Sarasota/Manatee region.